Scaffold element for use in the construction of scaffolding structures



Jan. 20, 1970 P. E. GOSTLING 3,490,189 SCAFFOLD ELEMENT FOR USE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCAFFOLDING STRUCTURES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1967 Jan. 20, 1970 'P. E. sosrums 3,490,189

SCAFFQLD ELEMENT FOR USE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCAFFOLDINGT'STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 6, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 20, 1970 P. E. GOSTL NG SCAFFOLD ELEMENT FOR USE IN SCAFFOLDING STR Filed Dec. 6, 1967 THE CONSTRUCTION UCTURES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 w BHm- ME P. E. GQSTLJNG Jan. 20, 1970 r SCAFFQLD ELEMENT ox usm IN THE CONSTRUCTION-0F SGAFF'OLDING STRUCTURES v 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Dec. 6, 1967 Jam 20, 1970 P. E. GOSTLING 3,490,189

SCAFFOLD ELEMENT FOR USE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCMFFOL-DING STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 6. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent O 3,490,189 SCAFFGLD ELEMENT FOR USE IN THE CON- STRUCTION F SCAFFOLDING STRUCTURES Peter Eric Gostling, Sutton Coldfield, England, assignor to Kwikform Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company Filed Dec. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 688,437 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 17, 1966, 56,578/66; Apr. 28, 1967, 19,709/67 Int. Cl. E04g 1/06, 7/24 U.S. Cl. 52-648 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A scaffold element for use in the construction of scaffolding structures, and of the kind comprising a stem, an arm extending from the stem in a direction transverse to the length of the stem, and means on the free end portion of the arm for connecting the same to one end of a stem of a further similar scaffold element, and the invention is concerned with a new or improved form of such connecting means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a scaffold element for use in the construction of scaffold structures, which element is of the kind herein called the kind specified, comprising a stem, an arm extending from the stem in a direction transverse to the length of the stem, and means on the free end portion of the arm for connecting the same to one end of a stem of a further similar scaffold element.

In such an arrangement the stem may occupy a vertical position in use, with the arm then extending horizontally from the upper end of the stem.

Description of the prior art SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A scaffold element of the kind specified in accordance with the present invention is characterized by the provision of a connecting member mounted on a free end portion of the arm and engageable with one end of the stem of a further similar scaffold element, said connecting member being displaceable relative to the arm in a direction parallel to the length of the associated stem to permit of said member being engaged with or disengaged from the stem of said further similar scaffold element with the stems of the two elements disposed in mutually parallel relationship, and aligning means on free end portion of the arm engageable with one end of a stem of a still further similar scaffold element, to align the respective stems of said two further scaffold elements in a position in which they are each connected to the free end portion of said arm of the scaffold element first mentioned.

Preferably the connecting member comprises a socket member engageable with the exterior of the one end of the stem of the further similar scaffold element and ice guided for sliding movement in a direction along its length relative to the arm on which it is mounted.

Preferably said aligning means also comprises a socket similarly guided for sliding movement.

Preferably the two sockets are constituted by opposite end portions of a sleeve, which sleeve is mounted on the free end portion of the arm for sliding movement in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the sleeve and parallel to the length of the stem from which extends the arm carrying the sleeve.

For instance the free end portion of the arm may carry a guide element in the form of a bar or tube extending parallel to the length of the stem from which said arm extends, the slidable sleeve having a guiding portion, for example a tubular portion embracing the guide element, slidable along the length of the guide element.

If desired, the slidable sleeve may be provided internally and medially thereof with an abutment portion engageable between the opposed ends of the aligned stems of the two further scaffold element when the aligned stems are engaged by the sockets formed by the end portions of the sleeve, the abutment portion serving to transmit a compressive load from one stem to the other of the two aligned stems, without such load being applied to the socket or arm on which the socket is slidably mounted.

Preferably to assist in maintaining the stem of the scaffold element first mentioned in parallel relation with the aligned stems of the further scaffold elements, one end of each guide element, namely the lower end where the stems are vertical, is adapted to abut against one face, e.g. the upper face of a shoulder provided on the stern of the further scaffold element, considering the two elements connected together.

The invention further comprises a scaffolding structure embodying a plurality of scaffold elements in accordance with this invention and connected together in the manner above described.

The advantages of a scaffold element in accordance with the present invention, quite apart from its utility in forming scaffolding structures of various forms are as follows:

(1) The stem may be formed of plain configuration at each end, i.e. it is unnecessary specially to form the stem in such a way as of itself to be connectable to and engageable with an end of a stem of a further similar scaffold element. Thus, in particular the stem may be formed as a plain tube without being provided at either end thereof with any form of spigot or equivalent connecting part, while it is further unnecessary for the performance of the present invention to provide either end of the stem with any form of external socket.

(2) The connection provided as above described between the free end portion of the arm of the scaffold element and further similar scaffold elements also serves to secure in aligned relationship, the juxtaposed ends of oppositely extending stems of further similar scaffold elements.

(3) Insofar as the aforementioned connecting member, such as the socket member or sleeve is displaceable relative to the arm, as above mentioned, the scaffold elements disposed in the same row, e.g. in the same horizontal row, can readily be connected together with their respective stems initially substantially all parallel to one another with opposite ends of the stems of the elements in the row to be connected all in alignment with one another, without it being necessary specially to manipulate to any significant extent, the scaffold frames to be connected together, for the purpose of engaging the connecting member on the arm of one scaffold element with the end of the stem of the further similar element.

Preferably the arm is secured to one end portion of the stem so as to extend perpendicular to the length of the stem and preferably a bracing member extends between the free end portion of the arm and the other end portion of the stem so as to provide a scaffold element in the form of a frame of substantially right-angled triangle configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of one form of scaffold element, in accordance with this invention, illustrating the manner in which it is connected to the stems of two further similar elements.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view to an enlarged scale on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a detail view to an enlarged scale of part of the same construction showing the manner in which the scaffold element is connected to the further scaffold element.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of a scaffolding structure formed from the scaffold element depicted in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing a modified form of scaffold element, also in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view to an enlarged scale, looking in the direction of the arrow 6 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but depicting part of the construction shown in FIGURES 5 and 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring firstly to FIGURES 1 to 4 of the drawings, the scaffold element illustrated at 9 in FIGURE 1 comprises a plain tubular stem 10, which in use is disposed in a vertical position, one end 11 of the stern, namely the in situ upper end, having permanently connected thereto one end of an arm 12, which preferably is also formed as a tube, with the opposite, i.e. free end portion 13 of the arm being connected permanently to one end of a bracing member 14, the other end of which is secured permanently to the stem a short distance above its opposite, i.e. lower end 15.

The connection of the free end portion 13 of the arm to the bracing member 14 is through a linear guide element 16 in the form of a short length of cylindrical tube welded to the adjacent end of the bracing member 14 and to the free end portion 13 of the arm, which two ends are flattened for that purpose, with the guide element 16 extending parallel to the length of the stem 10. The guide element 16 extends above the upper side of arm 12 to a height a short distance, e.g. about ten cms. higher than that of the upper end 11 of stem 10, and carries head 17. Mounted on guide element 16 for vertical sliding movement thereon in a direction parallel to the length of stem 10 is a tubular guide portion 18 to one side of which guide portion is welded a cylindrical sleeve 19, which extends parallel to the guide portion 18 and stem 10, so as to be vertical in situ. This sleeve 19 has a bore very slightly larger than the exterior diameter of stem 10, so as to be a free fit over the aligned opposed ends of the stems of two further similar scaffold elements.

In the particular arrangement illustrated, the sleeve 19 has secured therewithin medially of the length of the sleeve, an abutment portion 20 in the form of a ring of external diameter corresponding to the external diameter of the stem 10 and secured by diametrically opposed wells 20a, formed in holes 19a in the sleeve 19 (see FIG. 2). The arrangement is further such that each end portion of sleeve 19 above and below abutment portion 20 constitutes stem end receiving sockets 21, 22 respectively.

The arrangement is also such that the sleeve 19 can be raised from the lower connecting position depicted in full outline in FIG. 1, to the upper ready-for-connection position shown in FIG. 3, thus permitting of the upper end 11a of the stem 10a of a further similar scaffold element being disposed just below but aligned with the lower socket end 22 of the sleeve by purely relative horizontal displacement of the two scaffold elements, after which the sleeve 19 is released so that as shown in FIGURE 1 its socket 22 extends over the upper end 1111 of stem 10a in engagement with the upper end of the stem, and by its engagement providing a location of this part of stem 10a.

The head 17 is cut away at the edge 17a nearest sleeve 19 to accommodate the adjacent side of sleeve 19 Upward movement of the sleeve 19 beyond the FIG. 3 position is prevented by the engagement of the upper end of guide portion 18 with the underside of head 17, and downwarn movement of sleeve 19 beyond the full line position, illustrated in FIG. 1, is prevented by the engagement of sleeve abutment portion 20 with the upper end of stem 10a.

With the scaffold element 9 connected, as above described, to the stem 10a in a further similar element, when it is desired to secure another row of similar scaffold elements 9 thereabove, the lower end 15 of the stem 10a of a further scaffold element may be dropped within the upwardly projecting socket 21 of sleeve 19, and by engagement of its exterior within the bore of socket 21 is located and connected in alignment with stem 10a.

When this other row of similar scaffold elements 9 is located and connected as above described, the lower end 15 of the stem 1% of each scaffold element of the upper row will abut against the upper edge of the ring-like abutment portion 20 within the corresponding sleeve 19 of the lower already positioned scaffold element. Also, as earlier mentioned, each sleeve abutment portion 20 abuts namely along its lower edge with the upper end 11 of each stem in the lower row of scaffold elements. Thus the loading from each scaffold element in an upper row is transmitted through the lower end of the stem thereof and through the engaged abutment portion 20 to the upper end of the stern of the scaffold element immediately therebeneath in the lower row, i.e. the loading is passed directly from each upper stem through the adjacent abutment portion to the adjacent aligned lower stem, without in so doing stressing in any way the arms 12 of the scaffold elements, which arms merely serve to locate horizontally adjacent elements in the required relatively spaced apart position, without being also required to carry any of the compressive loading.

A further advantage of the above described arrangement is that when, as above described, the scaffold elements 9 are connected together, it is not necessary relatively to displace the scaffold elements in an angular sense to enable the sleeve 19 of each scaffold element to be connected to adjacent elements, whether in the same horizontal row or in a row thereabove. Thus, referring to FIG. 4 of the drawings, which depicts a scaffold structure of square configuration, as viewed in plan, and starting with the scaffold element embodying stem 10, when the next element embodying stem 10a is to be connected, the scaffold element embodying stem 10a is simply brought into the position illustrated, with the stem 10a parallel to and precisely aligned with stem 10 in a horizontal sense, and sleeve 19 associated with stem 10 already raised to permit of the foregoing relative disposition of the two scaffold elements, as depicted in FIG. 3, is then lowered without it being necessary to displace stem 10a angularly in relation to stem 10 during this connection operation. It is thus particularly easy with the present invention to secure the various scaffold elements together, whether in the same row or in rows vertically spaced immediately above or below.

To assist in maintaining the scaffold elements in the same horizontal row, e.g. the four elements 9 at the lower end of the structure depicted in FIG. 4, with their stems all vertical and at the same level with the upper and lower ends of the several stems, all disposed at the same corresponding horizontal level, each steam at a position near to but spaced below its upper end is provided (see FIG. 3) with a peripheral flange 23 in the form of a flat ring welded to the exterior of the tubular stem, and positioned at such a height as with horizontally adjacent scaffold frames connected together, to engage with the lower end of guide element 16, so as thus to provide a shoulder against which the lower end of guide element 16 abouts.

Thus, referring to FIG. 3, the shoulder 23 on stem 10a serves to prevent the free end portion 13 of arm 12 on stem 10 moving downwardly relative to stem 10a, so as undesirably to permit of stem 10 moving into a nonparallel position relative to stem 10a and into a position in which arm 12 on stem 10a no longer extends perpendicular to stem 10a.

The tower-like scaffold structure depicted in FIG. 4 of square shape in plan is provided at the upper end of each of the vertically aligned stems forming the four corners of the structure at the upper end thereof with per se known U-shaped head brackets 24, which receive therebetween and support beams or other parts of a shuttering for forming a floor or ceiling.

In order to maintain this scaffold structure in the required square configuration as viewed in plan, the structure incorporates a number of horizontally disposed bracing bars 25, which'extend between diagonally opposed corners of the structure, with vertically adjacent bracing bars extending between different corners, i.e. at right angles to one another.

In order to secure the sockets 21, 22 of each scaffold element tightly to the ends of the stems of adjacent elements, while providing sufficient tolerance between the bore of each socket 21, 22 and the exterior of each stem end, each socket 21, 22, carries a nut 21a, 22a in which works a clamping screw 21b, 2212 respectively, which can be tightened into clamping engagement with the stern ends after the scaffold elements have been assembled together as described. Such an arrangement also provides a means of connecting together vertically adjacent scaffold elements, in order that tower-like structures, eg as shown in FIG. 4, made up from the scaffold elements can be lifted en block, eg, by a tower crane, without the necessity for dismantling and separating individual scaffold elements.

Insofar as the clamping screws 21b, 22b, merely engage the stem ends frictionally as opposed to extending within holes or recesses formed in the stem ends, the arrangement permits of horizontally adjacent scaffold elements being disposed at different relative inclinations, e.g. other than the 90 relationship shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to the modified form of scaffold element depicted in FIGURES 5 to 7 of the drawings, this is generally similar to the construction already described, being modified principally in respect of the form of the guide element 16 on which the sleeve 19 is mounted for vertical sliding movement.

In this modified construction, the guide element 16 is formed as a rectangular section as opposed to a square section tube, and the guide portion 18 to which the sleeve 19 is welded is now formed to channel configuration, in sliding engagement with each of the four sides of the rectangular section guide element 16, except the side thereof which is nearest to the sleeve 18 from which it is spaced by a small distance to provide working clearance to facilitate the sliding of the sleeve. Also, to reduce the sliding friction between the channel shaped guide portion 18 and the guide element 16, the two corners 181: at the junction between the web 18b and the sides 180 of the channel are bent outwardly out of contact with the adjacent corners of the rectangular section guide element 16, as clearly shown in FIGURE 6.

Further, in this modified construction, in place of the head 17 on the upper end of the guide element 16 the upper end thereof is welded to the upper end of an inclined guide strut 26, the lower end of which is welded to the upper side of arm 12 at a position spaced along the length thereof from its connection to guide element 16.

Such guide strut 26 serves by its connection to the upper end of guide element 16, to reinforce the connection thereof to the scaffold element 9, and in addition by the engagement of the upper end of strut 26 with the upper edge of web 18b serves effectively to prevent the guide portion 18 and associated sleeve 19 from being slidden upwardly off the guide element, i.e. beyond the position depicted in FIG. 5. In this arrangement, downward movement of the guide portion 18 and associated sleeve 19, when the scaffold element is out of connection with a further element, is limited by the ends of through pin 27 on guide element 16 engaging beneath the lower edge of each of the guide portions sides 18c. Such a provision avoids any possibility of the operators fingers being trapped beneath the lower end of sleeve 19.

Furthermore, as is most clearly shown in FIG. 7, the lower end of the rectangular section guide element 16 has secured therewithin the upstanding flange 28 of angle shaped lug 29, so that the other flange 30 thereof extends beneath and parallel to the lower edge 31 of guide element 16, but spaced therefrom by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of annular flange 23 on stem 10.

The arrangement is such that when, as in the manner already described with reference to the preceding construction, a scaffold element 9 is connected through sleeve 19 to a further scaffold element disposed at the same horizontal level, the part of the periphery of annular flange 23 on stem 10a of the next adjacent scaffold element 9 extends within the space between flange 30 and guide element lower edge 31.

Such interconnection between the two scaffold elements at this position serves to facilitate the lifting at one and the same of two or more scaffold elements by a crane, for example in the construction of the scaffold structure which is to be built up for any number of scaffold elements, for example as shown in FIGURE 4. Apart from performing this particular function, the above mentioned interengagement of flange 23 between guide element edge 31 on the one hand, and flange 30 does not play any part in the connection together of the scaffold elements, in accordance with this invention, and as earlier described in relation to the construction shown in FIGURES 1 to 3.

What is claimed is:

1. A scaffold element comprising a first stem,

an arm extending from said stem in a direction transverse to the length of said stem,

a connecting member mounted on the free end portion of said arm,

guide means securing said connecting member to said arm, said connecting member being displaceable on said guide means relative to said arm in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said stem, interengaging means between said guide means and connecting member preventing rotational movement of said connecting member on said guide means about an axis parallel to said length of said stem,

and upper and lower aligned connecting means provided on said connecting member, each said connecting means being adapted for engagement with at least a second stem of a further like scaffold element to support same in parallel relationship with said first stem.

2. A scaffold element according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member comprises a slidable sleeve displaceable in a direction along the longitudinal axis thereof with said upper and lower aligned connecting means comprising two sockets constituted by opposed end portions of said sleeve.

3. A scaifold element according to claim 2, wherein an abutment portion having opposed faces is provided internally and medially of said slidable sleeve, each of said faces being engageable with the end of said second and a third stern, said abutment portion serving to transmit compressive load from one to the other of said second and third stems.

4. A scaffold element according to claim 2, wherein said guide means mounting said slidable sleeve comprises a linear element on said free end portion of said arm, said linear element extending parallel to said length of said first stem, and said slidable sleeve having a guide portion slidably embracing said linear element.

5. A scaifold element according to claim 4, wherein said linear element is a tube of square section with said guide portion being of channel configuration.

6. A scafi'old element according to claim 4, wherein said linear element is a tube of rectangular section with said guide portion being of channel configuration.

7. A scatfold e1ement according to claim 4, wherein said first stem is provided with a shoulder for abutting engagement with one end of a linear element disposed on said further like scaffolding element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,555,847 10/1925 Hudson 182-178 2,577,930 12/ 1951 Thomas 49-394 2,613,114 10/1952 Hagan 52-638 2,991,854 7/1961 Dubois 52-646 3,156,329 11/1964 Alberti 52-638 3,245,188 4/1966 Evans 52-638 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

